Heney o



(No Model.)

H. 0. GANFIELD.

BUSTLE.

No. 375,923. Patented Jan. 3, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY O. OANFIELD, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE CANFIELD RUBBER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BUSTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Ito. 375,923, dated January 3, 1888.

Application filed October 17, 1887. Serial No. 252,593. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY O. OANFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Bustles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention is an improvement upon my former Letters Patent,l lo. 359,240,dated March 15, 1887, and has for its object to improve certain features'thereof in compliance with the ever-changingdemands of the trade.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain improvements in the details of construction, which will be hereinafter fully explained, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a central sec tion illustrating my improved bustle in the distended position, and Fig. 2 a similar view illustrating it in the collapsed position.

It is of course well understood that abustle to be salable must be stylish, and that the style of bustle required is a matter-wholly dependout upon the manner in which fashion decrees that skirts should be draped.

One of the present requirements of thetrade is for a folding bustle, small, narrow, flat at the top, and suspended entirely below the belt. These requirements are perfectly met by the novel bustle which I will now describe.

1 denotes a body-piece which is curved over at the top and extends downward on opposite sides of the bustle.

2 denotes back pieces or skirts of textile fabric, to which the opposite sides of the bodypiece are secured. The upper ends of these skirts are stitched to the belt 3, and their inner edges are connected by a lacing-cord, 4, crossed in the usual manner, whereby the size and width of the bustle are made adjustable within reasonable limits.

5 denotes curved ribs, any number of which may be used, the opposite ends of which are pivotally secured to the opposite sides of the body-piece.

6 denotes a connecting-strip attached to the body-piece at the top and to each of the ribs. This connecting'strip may or may not be extended to the belt, the first form being shown in the drawings.

WVhether extended to the belt or not, it is a feature of my present construction that the bustle shall be loosely connected to the belt, and shall be entirely below it,as clearly shown. The body-piece is held in place by its attachment to the skirts, the upper ends of which extend above it and are then attached to the belt.

7 denotes the returning-springs, which are preferably wire coils. One end ofthesesprings is attached to one of the intermediate ribs at a distance from its pivotal point, and the other end attached to the back pieces or skirts near the bottom thereof. The springs are connected to the bustle by means of sheet-metal links 8,which are eyeleted to the skirts and to one of the ribs, and are provided with holes 9 for convenience in attaching the ends of the springs thereto. In order to insure the return of the lower ribs-that is, the two or more below the intermediate rib to which the returning-springs are attached-a vertical brace, 10, is provided in this class of bustles, the upper end of which is connected to the rib to which the springs are attached, and the other end to the lower rib. These braces have been held in place in various ways, principally by tying. This mode of securing the braces in place has been found seriously objectionable, both on account of the increased cost of production, owing to the great amount of hand labor required in tying the cord, and the fact that in use the cords quickly become worn in the eyelets and break. The cords, moreover, detract. greatly from the neatness and general appearance of the bustle. My present improvement wholly overcomes these serious objections by providing a flexible strip, ll, which serves as a-support for the brace, and also as a hingeconnection to the ribs, permitting the bustle to be collapsed and distended an unlimited number of times without strain upon either ribs or brace. This strip ordinarily consists of a strong textile web which extends along the back of the brace, as clearly shown in Fig. 2,

7 tom ribs.

is eyeleted to the opposite ends thercofiand is then eyeleted to the said intermediate and bot- The web is thus made to serve asa firm backing or support for the brace, and at the same time it permits sufficient play between the ribs and brace to avoid all strain and wear.

Having thus described my invention, I claim-- 1. A bustle consisting of a belt, skirts secured thereto, a body-piece secured to the skirts, ribs pivotally secured to the opposite sides of the body-piece, returning-springs whose opposite ends are connected to one of the intermediate ribs and to the skirts at the bottom of the bustle, a vertical brace eXtending from said intermediate rib to the bottom rib, and a flexible strip, 11, which serves as a In testimony whereofl affix my signature in 0 presence of two witnesses.

HENRY O. OANFIELD.

Witnesses:

A, M. WoosTEn, B. E. 

